Nov. 16, 2006 - "When you think of Marana, what do you think
about?" Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat asked, as he stood before a
small classroom filled with about a dozen Marana residents Oct.
4.

"Cotton," one resident replied. "Farming," said another.
"Growth," a third finally said after a long pause.

While it might be to the benefit of the first two residents, the
Citizen Resource and Education Workshop can help anyone who wants
to know more about their local government and how it works, said
Town Clerk Jocelyn Bronson.

After attending eight weekly class sessions during the past two
months, eight residents graduated from Marana's CREW program last
week and many of them came away with a new opinion of how their
town's various departments operate.

"I'm a hard sell, and I'm very impressed with the program," said
Carol Dayton, a 58-year-old Massachusetts native who heard about
the free workshop through the newspaper and decided it would be
worthwhile to sign up.

Dayton lived in Seattle before moving to Marana four years ago
and said CREW sounded like a great opportunity to learn more about
the town with which she was still becoming familiar.

"The amount of detail that presenters are willing to share with
the public shows that this is not a closed system," she said. "I'm
a little surprised. I've not been disappointed."

While the program gives residents a bird's-eye view of local
government, it also serves as a benefit to the town, which hopes to
tap the talents of individuals in the community. Throughout the
classes, Marana officials and department heads spoke of their role
in the town, while letting residents know about volunteer
opportunities in which they can participate.

"It's really for their interest and to give them more
information to become involved in whatever capacity they feel that
they've got interest or expertise in," Bronson said. "We've gotten
a number of volunteers to come work in the town through the CREW
program and through the citizens police academy."

About a dozen residents attended each session, a slight dip from
the 20-plus residents who attended the program last year, Bronson
said. This year's class was the fourth to go through the program,
though Bronson said she wasn't sure why enrollment has
declined.

"We have a lot of participation, a lot of people asking
questions, and that's really what I think local government should
be about - asking questions and finding out what it is we're doing
for you," she said.

Coming from a big city, Dayton said she stepped into Marana
thinking it was a rural community bound to make mistakes, though
she now has a different opinion.

"What I see is more organization and more thoughtfulness looking
ahead than I expected," she said. "It's a very interesting thing to
be in a community that has an opportunity to create from the ground
up and I'm shocked at how well organized everything is."

John Kmiec, another graduate of last week's class, said he moved
to northern Marana in 2002 after living in the Detroit area his
whole life. Coming from a poverty-stricken city with a continually
dwindling population, Kmiec said he sought someplace with a
positive future, and the CREW workshop reaffirmed that he made the
right choice by choosing Marana.

"It's going to be exciting to watch my children grow up in a
community that's growing and actually has a future," he said. "The
employees and participants within the community of Marana are
obviously thrilled with what they do and with their work, and that
shows in their presentations."

Terri Winger, who owns Continental Ranch Insurance, said she
moved to Marana from Pennsylvania because of growth, which is vital
to keeping her business going. As co-chairwoman of the Marana
Chamber of Commerce's legislative and economic development
committee, Winger said she decided to take the CREW class partly to
get an inside look at what the town is doing to bring jobs to the
area.

"I feel that the town is growing with homes and population, but
now it really needs to look at the economic growth," she said.
"People say 'Build it and they will come,' but I feel they need to
bring serious jobs to the area."

Winger asked Mayor Ed Honea at one of the sessions about how
Marana plans to get out from under the casting shadow of being a
bedroom community. Honea said the town is putting in infrastructure
around the airport to create industry jobs there and a Ritz-Carlton
hotel in Dove Mountain should bring about 200 jobs in the near
future, some paying upwards of $70,000.

"We want to bring businesses, but we want to be choosey," he
said. "We don't want smoke stacks and we don't want to change the
way of life."

Town officials announced at the CREW graduation that they would
be recommending Winger for appointment to the Northwest Fire/Rescue
District's Emergency Services Commission.

Two Avra Valley residents, Bill and Theresa Huffman, said they
decided to take the CREW workshop this year after their daughter
took the class and recommended it. Even though they're not town
residents, they said Marana is often the center of their activities
and they want to know all they can.

"For me, it's seeing the face of the government and actually
seeing and speaking to them," said Theresa Huffman. "What's great
is knowing where things are, like knowing the upcoming plans for
the water, the sewer, the airport, all these buildings going on,
and parks. And the new library looks great. In a way, we want
Marana to come out and annex our part of the county."

Harry Christman, 83, said he's lived adjacent to Marana for the
past 20 years, first in Pinal County and now to the east of Marana.
However, like the Huffmans, Marana is often the hub of his regular
activities, so the CREW workshop was an education for him.

"For 20-plus years now, my heart has really been associated with
Marana as a whole," he said. "And the progress that they made in
the last five years is just so tremendous that it made me wonder
how they were handling all this administratively, and in a
semi-efficient fashion."

Terry Snyder, who recently moved into Continental Reserve after
living in California's Silicon Valley, said he entered the CREW
program for practical reasons. A retired graphic designer, Snyder
is planning to build his long-awaited dream home in Marana,
complete with an art studio, and said he wanted to know the ins and
outs of the town's building department.

"I knew I wanted to sell some property and buy some property to
build a house on, so I knew that would entail permits and dealing
with builders and realtors," he said, adding that the sessions gave
him a basic knowledge of what he needed to know. "It's nice to know
where every function of government is now, and I think I know
people I can call now."

John Dailey, who was recently appointed to the town's planning
and zoning commission, also graduated from the class last week. He
said he's been bringing himself up to speed on the town's
operations and felt the CREW workshop was a necessity.

During the program, participants heard from outside groups such
as the Marana Arts Council, Marana Chamber of Commerce, Marana
Health Center, Marana Correctional Treatment Facility and Marana
Unified School District. Sessions began at 4 p.m. at various
locations in the town's facilities and lasted an average of two and
a half hours.

At one meeting, Reuwsaat informed citizens of Marana's
council-manager form of government, in which the mayor and six
other council members are popularly elected to set the policies,
vision and direction for the town. There's a level of mutual
respect that's developed among council members, he said, adding
that they make decisions based on the best interests of the
community, not along party lines or by where they live.

"I'm very proud to say I think we're the leader in Southern
Arizona in just about any area you look at," Reuwsaat told the
residents. "I wake up and I can't wait to get to work and I know
our council members do, too. That's why they work so many hours.
It's a great time to be living, working and participating in the
town of Marana."

For more information, or to sign up for the next CREW workshop,
call the Town Clerk's Office at 382-1999.